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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dire Bare" data-source="post: 8460096" data-attributes="member: 18182">Sigh. You keep talking about removing things from the game, which no one else in this discussion is doing. A warning statement doesn't remove anything, it just warns. You keep conflating phobias with traumas, and common triggers with "everything can be triggering to someone".You seem to be claiming that we are asking game designers to be "psychologists and analyze every possible situation", which again no one is doing. I think the consensus is to reject your idea of "it's everything or nothing" when it comes to including warnings.If I decided to try my hand at game design, I would certainly take the time to try and think through my work to see if there might be any common trauma triggers and/or problematic elements that, in my opinion, could use a warning statement or label of some sort. I would also try to get other folks eyes on my writing, to see if they can find things I've missed. I might agree or disagree with their feedback, but it would be a useful step. If I was publishing professionally, I would most definitely try and get some sensitivity readers to look over my work. A relatively new term and job description!Getting to your specifics, since you seem to need that:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[ISPOILER]Graphic Violence - Yes, this gets a warning label from me. Some folks find this level of graphic description offensive, so if I'm including it, I'm also including a warning. Granted, that warning might double as a sales pitch! Only peer within if you can handle dark themes and the most gruesome depictions of violence . . . [*]Paralysis - (including hold person) I've actually known a person with this trigger, but to my knowledge, this isn't a common. No warning label. [*]Trapped in the dark - (including darkness) More of a phobia than a trauma trigger, and while fear of the dark is common, a true phobia or trauma isn't. No warning label. [*]Charm spells and effects - (including hypnotic pattern) Charm effects do require being careful, as they can lead to consent issues. I certainly wouldn't write about using charm effects to have any sort of sexual seduction effects, or if I did for some reason, that's getting a warning label! Using charm effects to influence emotion, to "push" a character in a specific emotional direction . . . honestly, I don't know. Undecided. [*]Photosensitivity - (again, hypnotic pattern) Not sure if this was your thinking, but I would be completely unconcerned with photosensitive readers, as while this may be a visual effect in universe, it isn't in game. Descriptions of brightly flashing and colored lights is unlikely to trigger anyone. No warning label.[/ISPOILER]</li> </ul>I'm open to changing my mind on any of the above. Context also matters. What type of product am I designing? Who is the intended audience? Is this self-published or work-for-hire?If other authors decide differently on these specifics, that's okay. Would their use of warning labels I don't feel necessary keep my from purchasing their product? Probably not. Would the lack of warning labels where I feel they are necessary keep me away? Probably yes. But not every product is for me, so that's okay too.There's already some stuff out there that crosses lines for me personally that I won't purchase. Some of these products very much use warning labels, others don't. I'm okay with all of that.</blockquote>

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